Overview
- Federal authorities arrested Jamshid Ghomi on Wednesday and charged him with conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, with an initial court appearance set in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana.
- The Department of Justice says Ghomi, 63, ran Tehran-based Faraz Pardaz Rayaneh (FPR) to procure U.S.-origin networking, security and encryption gear for Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization and the Ministry of Defense from 2014 through 2023.
- Prosecutors describe a decade-long concealment scheme that used personal eBay and PayPal purchases, UAE front companies, altered shipping paperwork and freight forwarders to hide Iran as the final destination.
- Investigators allege Ghomi laundered more than $15 million into U.S. accounts, falsely labeled transfers to the IRS, and bought a Newport Coast home that prosecutors are seeking to forfeit as proceeds of the scheme.
- The case, led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office with IRS Criminal Investigation and the Commerce Bureau, highlights U.S. efforts to stop export-control evasion; if convicted Ghomi faces up to 20 years in prison but remains presumed innocent until proven guilty.